Saudi Arabia evacuates Indians from conflict-hit Sudan

RIYADH: Some Indian nationals are among 150 people, including 66 citizens of 12 other countries who have been evacuated from conflict-hit Sudan to Saudi Arabia. A ship carrying Saudi citizens and nationals of several countries, including India, reached Jeddah on Saturday in the first announced evacuation of civilians and diplomats since fierce fighting began in that country.

“In the implementation of the directives of the Saudi leadership, we are pleased to announce the safe arrival of the evacuated citizens of the Kingdom from Sudan and several nationals of friendly countries, including diplomats and international officials,” said the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a tweet here. The exact number of Indians evacuted by the Kingdom was not immediately known

But, this gesture of Saudi Arabia has been largely welcomed by Indian officials and Indian expatriates living and working in the Kingdom. To this end, it is important to note that Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar had spoken with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud last Tuesday about the evacuation of Indians from Sudan.

The Saudi citizens and foreign nationals, who have arrived in Jeddah, include the crew members of a Saudi passenger plane that was hit by gunfire while preparing to take off from Khartoum at the start of the fighting on April 15, according to a report by AFP. According to the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement, over 150 people, including foreign diplomats and officials, were rescued from Sudan and brought on Saturday to Jeddah.

This is the first announced evacuation of civilians since fighting began in that country. The foreign ministry said that the Saudi naval forces successfully performed the evacuation exercise with the support of other agencies. On arrival in Jeddah, the evacuees were received by Saudi government officials and soldiers.

Among those evacuated are 91 Saudi citizens and about 66 nationals from 12 other countries, namely India, Canada, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Tunisia, Pakistan, and Bulgaria. According to reports, a convoy of vehicles carried the evacuees to Port Sudan, from where they boarded ships to Jeddah.

Many Sudanese and foreign nationals have died due to the battles between forces loyal to Sudan army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy-turned-rival Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The body of an Indian national, who also died in violence-hit Sudan, has been kept there in a mortuary. The Indian officials are trying to repatriate the dead body and evacuate the family members of the diseased. A fortnight into the uncertain security situation in Sudan, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi last Friday directed officials to prepare contingency evacuation plans for about 3000 Indian stuck in the conflict-hit country.

The United States, the UK, Germany, Spain, Japan, and South Korea are among the countries that have stepped up efforts to evacuate their citizens from Sudan. India’s External Affairs Minister Jaishankar has intensified diplomatic efforts to help resolve the Sudan crisis and protect Indians there. He already met UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and consulted several foreign ministers as international efforts ramped up to restore peace and normalcy in the conflict-hit Sudan.

Jaishankar, after he met with Guterres, said: “We, of course, have obviously a very strong interest in the matter because there are so many Indians there. In fact, India is coordinating closely with Saudi Arabia, the US, the UK, and the UAE to ensure the safety and security of Indian nationals in violence-hit. Jaishankar has spoken to his counterparts in Saudi Arabia and the UAE and both countries have assured their practical support on the ground.

This is not for the first time that Saudi Arabia evacuated Indians from violence-hit Sudan. The Kingdom has been closely working with India in several fields including in evacuation efforts as and when required. In 2015, India asked Saudi Arabia to help evacuate its citizens from Yemen, where more than 4,000 Indians, over half of them nurses, were caught up in the fierce fighting.

Then, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke by telephone with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, and requested Riyadh’s “support in the evacuation of Indian citizens from Yemen”. Immediately after King Salman assured Modi of all possible assistance to help Indians’ evacuation from Yemen, the Saudi government agencies swung into action. At that time, Saudi Arabia helped 4000 Indians to evacuate from war-torn Yemen.

===INDIA NEWS STREAM